IBWA Announces 2015-2016 Officers and Board of Directors

Washington, DC – The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) today announced its 2015-2016 officers and board of directors. IBWA members elected the association’s leadership during the 2015 Annual Business Conference, held in Washington, DC, from November 2 – 5.

Joe Bell, of Aqua Filter Fresh, was elected to serve as chairman the IBWA Board of Directors for 2015-2016. He is a member of IBWA’s executive committee and board of directors and served as Vice Chairman in 2014-2015.

The IBWA members approved the following slate of officers for 2014-2015:

Joe Bell (Aqua Filter Fresh, Inc.) – Chair

Shayron Barnes-Selby (DS Services) – Vice Chair

Bryan Shinn (Shinn Spring Water Company) – Immediate-Past Chair

The following IBWA members were elected or re-elected to the Board of Directors for a three-year term, expiring in 2018.

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, high-quality bottled water products.

In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.

IBWA is proud to be an active supporter of Drink Up!, an initiative of First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which encourages Americans to drink more water more often – whether from the tap, a filter, or in a bottle. Choosing water is always the healthy choice.